New opportunities for research with the Multi-Generation Register

Denmark has long been internationally recognised for its unique and highly detailed population data. With the Danish National Archives’ Multi-Generation Register (MGR), we have taken an important step forward. Researchers can already access a beta version of the register, known as MGR Beta.

MGR is designed to connect generations. By combining historical parish records, modern technology and advanced artificial intelligence (AI), the register makes it possible to identify family relationships between individuals born in Denmark as far back as 1920. Through linkage with the CPR Register (Denmark’s Civil Registration System), MGR creates entirely new opportunities for research.

The establishment of the Multi-Generation Register opens up unprecedented opportunities to explore family-related dynamics in Denmark. Researchers can trace relationships across generations and construct detailed family trees extending back to the early twentieth century.

This unique data resource enables researchers to analyse how health outcomes, disease patterns, economic circumstances and social behaviours are transmitted within families over time. By identifying individuals and their family connections across generations, MGR provides a uniquely Danish foundation for research within medicine, sociology and many other scientific disciplines.

In three short films, Danish and international researchers share their perspectives on the Multigeneration Register (MGR).

The researchers highlight the potential of MGR for research in a wide range of fields, including medicine and health sciences, social sciences and the humanities and history.

The films are in Danish, with subtitles available in both Danish and English.

Researchers featured in the films

• Sune Lehmann, Professor, DTU Compute and Chief Researcher at CAISA
• Lisbeth Harbo, Chief Consultant, Danmarks Statistik
• Jennifer Lynn Baker, Head of Research, Center for Klinisk Forskning
• Ismail Gögenur, Clinical Professor, Center for Surgical Science, Institut for Klinisk Medicin, Københavns Universitet
• Andrew J. Schork, Senior Researcher, Institut for Biologisk Psykiatri, Københavns Universitetshospital
• Esben Agerbo, Professor, Center for Registerforskning, Aarhus Universitet
• Merete Korneup, Head of Department, Psykiatrifonden

The Multi-Generation Register provides health researchers with access to an exceptional data resource that has the potential to significantly improve patient care and public health outcomes.

By incorporating detailed family histories, researchers can assess individual risks and prognoses more accurately, supporting the development of increasingly personalised healthcare. For surgeons and clinicians, family history can become an even more valuable decision-making tool, particularly within psychiatry, where family history remains one of the most reliable biomarkers available.

MGR can also help identify individuals at increased risk of diseases such as cancer, enabling population screening resources to be targeted more effectively. The more family data included in risk models, the more accurate the resulting estimates become.

The Multi-Generation Register creates new opportunities to understand how disease, economic conditions and social resources are transmitted across generations. It enables researchers to distinguish between situations where personalised medicine is the most appropriate response and those where broader public health or societal interventions are required.

Using MGR, researchers can analyse how conditions such as cancer and mental disorders cluster within families, while also examining the interaction between genetic inheritance and environmental influences over time.

This knowledge is particularly valuable for developing more effective approaches to psychiatry, treatment and prevention. The register can help clarify the role family-related factors play in disease development and identify new opportunities for preventive action.

MGR therefore represents a vital resource for improving our understanding of the relationship between genetics and environment, ultimately benefiting both individuals and society as a whole.

The Multi-Generation Register has been made possible through a DKK 48 million grant from the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The project is led by the Danish National Archives in collaboration with researchers from Aarhus University and the University of Copenhagen.

Researchers can access data from the Multi-Generation Register through Denmark’s Data Portal (Danmarks Datavindue), where the register forms part of the population data package.

• Go to Denmarks Data Portal